Word&Way Voices

Our church’s recent quarterly business meeting seemed routine enough (if there is such a thing as a routine business meeting). But very quietly, something historic occurred that evening.

The wall in my home office is covered with pictures.

Some of the pictures predate me, like the one of my wife’s grandfather’s family and the picture of my maternal grandmother. Then there are graduation pictures of my wife and me. There are pictures of our children when they were younger and recent pictures of our grandchildren.

Every picture has a story.

Every day, I walk a fine line between servant leadership and people pleasing. Some days, I get it right. Other days, I can’t even see the line.

Our culture seems to have shelved “and” in favor of “or.”

Liberal or conservative. Prolife or pro-choice. Gun rights or gun control. Let’s be honest: Polarization sells more news (and more politics) than consensus.

In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson created the National Park Service. This makes 2016 its 100th birthday.

During this past Lenten season, our congregation journeyed together around the theme of forgiveness — God’s forgiveness of us as well as our forgiveness of ourselves and others. Here are some takeaways.

In nearly every other area of our lives, curiosity is highly valued. Where would the world of information technology be without curious college dropouts working in their garages? Savvy entrepreneurs succeed because they invest in “what if?” So instead of shunning all this ambiguity and confusion, perhaps churches should embrace it.

Late January marked the 46th anniversary of the death of my 16-year-old brother, Dennis, in a car accident. Forty-six years. If you think all of the grief is gone and my heart has completely healed, think again.

In Mississippi, where I spent my teenage years, one can acquire a driver's license at the age of 15. Despite its legality, my father thought I should not get a license until I was 16. It was a long year.

Not very many weeks ago, many of us sang the words of Charles Wesley’s familiar Christmas carol, “Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see, Hail the incarnate deity….” We likely also heard the powerful witness of John’s Gospel, “…and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us….”